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The Sibylline Cards
A deck of tarot cards with a set of major and minor arcana, carried initially by Mavortian von Heber, and later by Felix Harrowgate. Can be used to set and interfere with the future. Description The Sibylline is a deck of tarot cards used for Strong Divination (a Fressendran technique) by Mavortian von Heber to both discover and then set the huphantike, or path of the future. It is also known as 'the deck of the Sibylline.' They are housed in a rectangular box of glowing, pale wood covered in labyrinthine stylised vines and moonflowers. There are no visible catches or hinges on the box. Inside it is padded and lined with midnight blue silk. The cards are old and worn, the edges of the cards are slightly furry, and the backs have faded to sepia, though they were once black and scarlet. The images themselves are garish and morbid. They carry the residue of a lot of magic. Though Felix uses the terms minor and major arcana to refer to them, Mavortian uses the terms 'common cards' and 'trumps', with 'alt cards' for the Sibyls and Court cards. Minor Arcana There are four suits, numbering 1-10, with four court cards and one Sibyl: # Staves (parallels with Swords) # Wands # Pentacles # Grails (parallels with Chalices or Cups) Court cards: # Lady (parallels with Page) # Knight # Queen # King # Sibyl (unique to the Sibylline, showing a blindfolded woman with a two-handed grip on the symbol of her suit. They are also known as the 'diviner's cards' or 'alt cards' that stand between the minor and major arcana) Trumps, or Major Arcana There are 21 trump cards. * The Beehive * The Nightingale * The Heart of Light * Cade Cholera (card of death) * Death (uncertain if this is different to the Cade Cholera card) - this is the card that helped Felix learn that the Virtu was initially built on a foundation of necromancy. * The Dog - depicts an enormous, shaggy creature, black and more like a bear, and represents loyalty. Used to help rebuild the Virtu. * The Rock - lurid red against murky background, represents stone. Used to help rebuild the Virtu. * The River * The Drowned Man * The Two-Handed Engine History Bernard Heber says that the cards were never truly Mavortian's, implying that he stole them. The technique of reading is said to come from 'Cymellune of the Waters.' Appearances In ''Melusine, ''the Sibylline is used to help Mavortian identify a man that will help him get revenge on Beaumont Livy, he hires Mildmay to find the man, who is Felix Harrowgate. In ''The Virtu, ''the Sibylline is used a great deal. Mavortian teaches Felix how to use the cards, at Felix's request, and together they use the Sibylline to discover more information about the Virtu and then help as a symbolic anchor when repairing it. During this, the Knight of Swords represents Mildmay, and the Sibyl of Swords represents Felix. When Mavortian is murdered, Bernard passes the Sibylline onto Felix. Category:Objects Category:Magic